Bird Watching

Bird Watching in North Devon & Wildlife on the Estate

Bird watching in North Devon is a popular pastime and at Spreacombe we are lucky with our positioning.

With so much woodand, water and meadow around us, we are blessed with a large amount of wildlife and in particular birds. The RSPB Chapel Wood is in the middle of our estate but of course the birds are all over.

Birdwatching Holiday

If you are here for a birdwatching holiday then you must also visit the other eco systems in the area.

The cliff paths have birds of prey such as Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel and Buzzards as well as Fulmars which nest in the bays, and Shags and gulls which roost on offshore rocks and Gannet.

We have marshland at Braunton and the RSPB's Isley Marsh reserve is a short drive and for a day trip Lundy Island, just off the North Devon coast, hosts a haven of rarer birds.

Birds at Spreacombe

The amazing woodpecker photos were taken by us after Neil, one of our regular guests, showed us where the new family were living, only a couple of minutes walk from the holiday cottages. We quietly sat ourselves down near to the tree and waited for the feeding session to restart.

Buzzards are frequently seen and heard in the skies. They are so graceful and big that it is always a bit wierd to see them being mobbed by crows. There are other birds of prey around but buzzards are by far the most frequent.

The RSPB Chapel Wood is adjacent to us, and indeed we have our own entrance to this site. It takes its name from the remains of Spreacombe Chapel, a scheduled ancient monument dating from 1270. They state on their website that the birds frequently seen there are Woodpecker (Great Spotted and Green), Buzzards, Nuthatch, Owls and Ravens.

....and then there's the peacock !!

Also a wild bird the peacock is often a visitor to the bungalow area and given various pet names by our guests, some of whom I suspect are dropping crumbs for the boys. Diana Dennis says, “We were amazed to find two young peacocks outside the kitchen one morning in 2005. We’ve no idea where they came from, but they soon decided that the valley was an ideal home. ”

You just never know when...... I saw this guy when I was ironing (and gazing out of the window) so nipped off to get the camera. Perhaps that's why the housework always takes longer than it should.

and as for the heron; well he looks very grand but we have noticed that the fish that are (were) in our pond have stopped jumping now. Call me Sherlock but .....